The St. Petersburg City Council approved $1 million in capital funds for routine Tropicana Field repairs.<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 Tropicana Field is getting another $1 million for repairs after an 8-0 vote by the St. Petersburg City Council. The funding comes from a capital account designated specifically for the stadium and will cover improvements both inside and in the surrounding parking areas. City officials emphasized that none of this work is related to hurricane damage.<\/p>\n
Roof repairs at the ballpark wrapped up this week<\/a>, which clears the way for additional repairs inside after last year\u2019s storms severely damaged the stadium. The newly approved money will support a range of upgrades.<\/p>\n RELATED: Inside Tropicana Field: Roof repairs complete, interior renovations in full swing<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a typical, regular occurrence, back to normal and not related to storm damage,\u201d said Beth Herendeen, managing director of City Development Administration.<\/p>\n Under the Rays\u2019 use agreement, the team must seek city approval to access the capital account, which can only be used for capital repairs, renewals and replacements. Herendeen said the account \u201cis funded through both ticket stub and naming rights revenue and currently has a balance of about $1.025 million.\u201d<\/p>\n According to city documents, the approved spending will cover:<\/p>\n Parking lot improvements: $244,904Flat roof repair: $233,520HVAC repairs: $191,000Sidewalks: $100,000Net extension: $91,751Concession countertops: $93,250Smith Fence: $49,168Contingency: $407 <\/p>\n Hernedeen said the extension of the safety netting complies with a new major league standard: \u201cThe new major league standard has it going from foul pole to foul pole so the net extra from the base to the foul pole will be covered by this fund not the Milton repair fund.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite uncertainties about the Rays\u2019 long-term home, officials say all current repairs remain on schedule to allow a home opener at the Trop on April 6.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThankfully all is going well,\u201d Herendeen said.<\/p>\n